


To Lose an Alpha and Gain a New One

by VanessaWolfie



Series: Alpha Stiles AU- "I will protect you" [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Stiles Stilinski, Alpha!Claudia, From Canon, Gen, Minor Character Death, Pack Bonding, Stilinski Family Feels, Talia Hale & Claudia Stilinski Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-12 21:37:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9091735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanessaWolfie/pseuds/VanessaWolfie
Summary: Derek is at a playdate. Then he runs.Then he's found.





	1. No Alpha, No Pack -- Omega

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the first of a few additions to this verse! Tell me what you think.
> 
> Beta'd by the amazing [therootednomad](http://archiveofourown.org/users/therootednomad/pseuds/therootednomad) from ao3, that's also on tumblr, as [argento-capitani](http://argento-capitani.tumblr.com). thanks so much for fixing this up so it was sharable with public. :)

Derek is at Riley‘s house. They‘re just playing in his room with his super cool cars when suddenly, he feels a sharp pain in his chest and then  one of his pack bonds is gone. Just like that. He staggers and stops playing, dropping the car. Riley looks over at him and starts asking what’s wrong, but then, another of his bonds snaps. Derek doesn‘t think any further, just runs out of the house and towards his own.

He can hear Riley‘s mom yell after him, but he just needs to get there. He‘s just felt two more bands snap and now it‘s his Alpha, he needs to get to his Alpha. He‘s almost there, he still can‘t hear them, can‘t smell them, but he‘s so close and then, he can  _ feel _ his Alpha howl. He feels it long before he hears it because his Alpha is  _ mad _ , enraged, making him stop in his tracks and cower. Before he can recover, before he can start running again, he feels that last bond break. He feels his Alpha, his mother, die. 

 

It brings him to his knees, shaking on the ground. He tries to get himself together because his mom always said that a lone wolf, an omega, was vulnerable.  _ It‘s not safe _ . He‘s got to hide. His mom will,  _ would _ , want him to hide. He can‘t go to the house, it‘s clearly dangerous there. He needs to hide.

It feels like it takes him years to stand up again, but he shakily makes it to the other side of the woods where he knows he‘s away from home, from whatever is there. He crawls into a cave and doesn‘t leave until the night, and it’s only to get something to eat, along with  some water. It‘s hard and he doesn‘t really sleep. He just feels so tired.

***

“I just heard that the Hales were murdered yesterday. They still haven’t found who did it. Not surprising, considering that they must be hunters,” John says, his voice tight and angry. “I really thought we were past this kind of pointless violence, Talia’s pack was a peaceful family and somebody just went in there and slaughtered five innocent people.” Talia and Andrew were their friends. This shouldn’t happen.

Claudia is nodding, eyes shining red as her anger shines through, but then she shakes her head and asks, “Five? But, John, the Hales were a family of six: Talia and Andrew, Peter and then Laura, the oldest, Derek – who’s Stiles’ age, you remember John? And then little Cora. If there were only five bodies, then one of those kids could be out there. Alive.”

John pales at the thought and rings up his contact at the other county. He confirms that yes, they’re still looking for the boy. Apparently he ran out of a friend’s house while they were playing together at the time of the murders.They think he was killed on the grounds and are searching for his body.

Claudia can only imagine what that boy was doing, trying to get to his pack mates as he felt their deaths, until his Alpha was gone, until he became Omega. She knows Talia has told her kids the same stories as they’ve told their boys. 

 

Even though times are peaceful, you can never be too careful with your cubs.

“We have to go find him, John. Chances are, nobody will find that boy by accident until he really  _ is _ dead.”

John just nods, face set and they start grabbing their stuff. “You know, that boy will be so scared if he can sense an Alpha and her mate coming up to him.”

Claudia looks over at him, raising her eyebrows, because she can’t believe her husband is suggesting this. However, she knows that what he’s saying is very true. “Let’s go grab Stiles then. This is going to lead to another addition to his little pack, you know that, right?”

John just smiles thinly and nods. He goes to them some food while Claudia goes upstairs to Stiles.

“Hey baby, I have some bad news. You remember the Hale pack right?”

Stiles looks at her intently, nodding. 

 

“Someone has done something very bad and I’m very scared that Derek, you know him, is lost and alone.” 

 

This makes Stiles nod again, even more serious now. He used to have that look a lot just after Isaac came to stay with them. It simultaneously makes Claudia so proud and so sad that her boy has to see how cruel the world can be. At least she knows he’ll do his best to let the good win.

“We’re going to find him and offer him a place in our pack. It’s bad for a wolf cub to be lost in the system. He needs a pack. We want you to come with us so he doesn’t get as sad. Do you want to do that with us?”

“Yeah mom, are we leaving now? He must be really scared.”

“Yeah, we’ll go very soon. Can you pack some clothes for him, honey? He probably just has what he’s wearing and he’s been alone for more than a day. He’ll want to change.”

Stiles hurries and soon they’re on the road. The car ride feels like it takes way too long, but it’s only a few hours until they get to the edge of the Hale pack’s territory. Claudia decides to leave the car alone to go find the house. She doesn’t want Stiles anywhere near that kind of scene.

She’s walking alone and immediately starts crying as she smells the evidence of the crime. A cloud of fear and pain floats around the area. She walks around and soon, just half a mile away from the car, farther from the house, she finds what must be Derek’s scent. Anxious. Pained. She tracks it until she can see that it leads to a cave.

John has been following in the car, and she waits a safe distance away from the cave for her boys. Her Alpha hearing lets her makes sure that Derek is there, breathing and heart beating, but the smell is horrible. The pain, anxiety, worry, and fear is  so thick. She’s still far enough that he can’t sense her, but when John pulls up, she gets to Stiles.

“All right, we’re here sweetie.  Can you go talk to Derek? He’s going to be so scared if me or your dad try to get there and he’s so scared already.”

She knows that their Alpha scent means they’ll come off as threatening to Derek. Stiles is both young and a beta, but he’s shown with Isaac and Scott that he can be surprisingly gentle for such a loud, rambunctious kid.

****

Derek can hear someone coming. First, there’s a heartbeat, then the scent of a wolf, but before he can panic, he hears a voice.

“Derek? I’m Stiles, from the Stilinski pack.” 

 

Derek remembers him. They’re the same age and the Stilinski pack has a big comfortable book room. It’s almost as big as a library. 

 

“I know what happened. I’m really sorry. Is it okay if I come talk to you for a little bit? Or you could come out and talk to me?” 

 

Derek shakes at that idea. It’s still bright out there.  _ It’s not safe _ .

Stiles has stopped, Derek can hear that. He’s glad. It means he can think it through. “I know you, but I don’t want to come out. I’m- I’m an omega now. N-not safe. Not safe.”

He can hear the boy start moving again, but as he gets closer, it gets distinctly less loud while he’s also trying not to sneak up on Derek. “Don’t be scared, I’ll come protect you.” 

 

When he enters the cave, he holds a hand out to Derek in greeting. Derek knows it’s formal, but he’s so grateful because he really needs to scent this boy before he can relax. He needs to reassure himself that this is a wolf. That’s he’s safe. That he has a friend.

“Thanks,” he says, which Stiles seems to take as permission to cuddle up against him. It’s not bad. “I remember you. Is your … mom here?”

“Yeah , she’s here. She’ll make sure nothing happens to you, okay? We want to take you home with us, Derek. You’ll be a part of a pack again. I know it’s hard, but don’t you want to come with us?”

Derek can’t believe what this boy is saying. He gets to be... safe? He feels himself shake and shiver, but when he gets it under control, he nods and Stiles sits with him with his arms around his shoulders and it feels so good.

 

When Stiles finally comes back with Derek, Claudia lets out a breath that she’s been holding. She holds her hand out as they get close, and Derek flinches. He seems to regret it only a second later, but Stiles is already putting himself between his Alpha and Derek.

Claudia exchanges a look with John. Clearly, Stiles has already adopted the boy into his makeshift pack. Before she can say anything to Stiles to reprimand him, because that’s stepping very close to the line of defying his Alpha, Derek grabs his shoulder and says, “I’m fine, Stiles. Just a little startled. I’ve got to greet your Alpha.”

Stiles nods, all his attention on Derek, Claudia just knows that this is going to become a habit with Stiles, not noticing his Alpha’s influence with this cub close. She knows it’s her fault, but she just hopes it doesn’t end with them fighting.

She chooses to ignore it this time, greeting Derek, scenting him and asking him if he’s willing to come home with them. Derek just nods and they leave, only stopping shortly at a motel so Derek can shower and change clothes before they hurry home.

They introduce the pack slowly, first the boys, then Melissa and Jordan, and then Brian and Connor. They didn’t want to overwhelm him at the front door. Claudia also takes note that Stiles follows the boy around, making sure he always has an escape route ready. It’s difficult to part them when it’s time for bed.

*****

Derek gets to the bed, lying in peace and quiet, all alone, but now he’s warm and comfortable instead of cold and sitting on bare rock like in the cave. His shirt, well, it’s not his, it’s Stiles’.It smells like him and he feels safe. For the first time since that first bond broke, he’s safe.

He’s almost asleep when he feels the pack bonds click into place. It’s such a rush that he starts sobbing. In the last two days, he’s gone from having his family, his five strong bonds, to nothing. Now, he has nine new bonds and one of them is blazing to his core, so uniquely connected that he just knows it’s Stiles.

A short while later, he hears Stiles sneak into his room and into his bed. Derek begins to feel like his head is spinning a little less now that he’s here.

****

Claudia finds them in the early morning curled into bed. She’s not even surprised. She felt it when the cub felt safe enough to accept the bonds that had been extended towards him. She also felt how he went from overwhelmed to sleeping a short while later. Even in the last moments of consciousness the night before, she had smiled with pride at her wonderful little Alpha son. Now, she shakes her head, because they’d just  gotten Stiles to stop sleeping in bed with Isaac or in his room and move back into his own room. Maybe she’d better put these two in a room large enough for the both of them and not even try to separate them. She had a feeling that there was more than friendship behind this bond. It made her happy of course, that her son had found someone to have by his side. Being Alpha was hard, but with someone by your side, it was somehow manageable.

She’s still going to have to watch out for her boy though. He’s only eleven and he’s already found himself three equally little betas although they are hers, and he takes such wonderful care of them.

When they move Derek and Stiles into a double room, with Scott and Isaac into another just across the hall, it still takes a month for Stiles to sleep in his own bed. Derek gets nightmares if he’s alone, at least one a night, but if Stiles stays with him, he sleeps through the night. Claudia knows that though it’s normal for wolves to be this close, they need to tone it down before they go to school. Derek needs to learn to be independent. She gives them their space to recover, but she tries to nudge them in the right direction.

One night they’re getting to bed and John says, “It’s not like you can’t see it’s love.”

“I do. I see it. But Derek needs to remember that he can stand alone before they realize it themselves.”

They make sure that they don’t spend every second together, and as a result, Derek gets stronger every day. Stiles, Scott, and Isaac make sure of it as well. Claudia is glad to see that Stiles still pays plenty of attention to his other ‘betas’ instead of sidestepping them for Derek. He’ll make a good Alpha. He helps Scott with homework and he always seeks to praise Isaac for everything little thing that he does. Claudia can see her pack grow and get stronger, and she’s so happy.

 


	2. You're My Alpha Stiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another loss, another gain, quite bittersweet.

John is sitting in his office, when suddenly, he can just  _ feel _ his mate band snap. It snaps like a piece of twig and he howls because he has never, ever experienced such pain in his life. He’s still trying to catch his breath when one of his deputies comes in with a worried look. John vaguely points at his computer and makes up some excuse about a video he was watching.

It doesn’t take long before he stops shaking to realize that he needs  to check on his pack.  _ Are they safe? What happened? _ He only gets half a step to the door when it opens and a deputy rushes in to tell him there was a murder at the grocery store two streets away and said something about Claudia.

John doesn’t hear all of it, but he manages to bark out an order for two deputies to follow his car to the shop. He’s in the cruiser before they even move and calls Chris right away, asking him to come. Armed. He knows now, what happened. The only people who would, and  _ could _ shoot his mate, his Alpha, were hunters. Crazy,  _ stupid _ hunters that would be dead soon, but having Argent there would make sure his pack was safe from ridiculous accusations of unlawful murder.

When he gets to the shop, he quickly scents out where the shooter had to have been. He sends his deputies to deal with the store. He knows what’s in there. He knows he won’t be able to function, to handle himself, if he sees his wife dead. He might even go feral, no matter the audience.

Chris gets there just as he finds the bullet shell. The scent of the hunter is strong and he can easily track where it goes. As he looks up, Chris stands there, pale as a sheet and John tries valiantly not to think too hard about what’s making the experienced hunter this shaken. He will  _ not _ break down until this scum isn’t  breathing anymore.

“You understand  what I’ll do?” John asks instead.

Chris just nods, solemn and silent.

As they walk out, Chris reaches out  to place a hand on his shoulder. John has to give him points for daring to touch an agitated wolf.

“If I get the shot, can I take it?” he asks quietly, but looking John straight in the eye.

John doesn’t even think about it, he just wants this man dead; his pack safe.

“Of course, I just want it done.”

He thinks of his son, his family, and  concludes that they’re at home with Melissa. He tells himself that he will call them in half an hour if he hasn’t found this guy.

As they get out on the road, he learns that his deputies have done a lot of good, even if their boss wasn’t functioning. They drove the guy off the road with their roadblocks. Him and Chris find the empty car just by the preserve, making John almost smirk. No way a strange hunter is going to beat them on their own turf. He might have been enough to kill an Alpha with a sniper shot, but he clearly hasn’t planned this well if he can’t even make  a good escape.

In the end, they only need ten minutes to catch him. They trap him at a cliff edge and he’s got nowhere to go.

Chris is getting ready to shoot and John uses the security to ask the cornered hunter a question.

“Do you work alone?”

The hunter sneers in affirmation. “I just wanted to prove all the hunters wrong. Nobody will touch this pack because they all think the Alpha is  _ so _ strong, but now she’s just-”

 

He doesn’t say another word, because that’s the moment Chris shoots him through the heart.

John has to fight hard with himself not to ravage the man into pieces, but he finally becomes aware that he still feels an Alpha bond.

_ Stiles _ . It must be, God, he has to get home. His son just became Alpha and as if that rush of power isn’t enough, he’s also going to be grieving his mother. He has to get to him.

He absently takes time to thank Chris and then he runs home. 

 

It was ridiculously close.That stupid hunter got way too close to his precious, precious pack.

When he draws near, he can sense the distress in the house. At least he can sense all of them except Brian and Connor, who should both be on shift. Hopefully, they’ll make it home soon to reassure themselves in the arms of the pack, but for now, at least everybody else is here. John knows they’ll get through this, all of them, because they’re strong, no matter what some idiotic hunter thought. That doesn’t mean he can let himself deal with what happened, or think too hard about it; he’s got way too much to take care of first.

Melissa and Jordan greet him at the door. Well, Melissa kind of lunges straight into his arms as they open it.

“John, thank God. I could feel you, but you didn’t... they told me you disappeared from the scene and we were worried.”

The tumbled words are  said straight in his ear as Melissa scents him.

John looks over at Jordan, who is just standing there looking grave. He pulls Melissa closer and whispers, “I’m sorry, I had to... I had to take care of it.” He looks over to Jordan and adds, “He’s dead now. Chris shot him. I just... had to.”

Melissa shakes in his arms and Jordan nods, but John can see his shoulders drop, thankfully. It looked like Jordan was half out that door to kill the hunter himself.

John tucks Melissa into his side, closer still, and pulls Jordan into their hug. They stand there for a minute and John feels Jordan let go of his tension. Then he realizes that he can hear the boys murmuring somewhere on the upper floors of the house.

“How is - I mean, Stiles, he’s...?” He can’t seem to get it out. His boy, just barely over twelve is now an Alpha. It’s surreal.

Melissa and Jordan both just nod.

“There’s something, well, before you go up there, I need to tell you. Derek is freaking out. We’ve been staying down here because, frankly, it hasn’t been safe for us to go near them,” Melissa begins to explain.

“What do you mean?” John tries to think about why  _ Derek _ could pose any danger to two grown betas. Then it clicks. 

 

Derek is upset. That means Stiles would already be in full protection mode. Couple that with newfound Alpha powers and loss and you’ve probably got yourself a very feral 12-year-old.

“Good God. That’s bad, it’s... is he letting Isaac and Scott near them?” John asks, because they’re not down here, but he wouldn’t have thought that  _ anyone _ would be able to come close to Stiles like this.

Melissa just nods, before adding, “Well, they’re still not managing to talk to him or touch him, but they’re allowed to be inside the room. We wanted them to get as much ‘pack’ as they could.”

 

John nods, before carefully making his way up the stairs. He takes a couple deep breaths, and when he’s half up the stairs, he starts speaking. “Stiles, we need to talk. I’m coming up, so can you please try not to attack me when I come inside? I promise I won’t come close to you; Derek is all yours, kid. I just want to see you. Talk to you a bit.”

All he can think of is the time Stiles growled at his mother, his  _ Alpha _ , because Derek was scared. He knows that now, with a power rush in his whole system, Stiles won’t be able to stop himself from violently protecting that boy.

When he reaches the door, the hairs on the back of his neck are standing up because he can hear his son growling inside. It’s not really aggressive, but more a steady threat. It stops soon though and he can hear Stiles whispering to Derek.

He opens the door, and what he sees on the other end of the room pains him. Down in one corner, Stiles has packed them with pillows and the duvet, cuddling Derek as close as possible. Derek seems to be almost non-responsive, constant sobs ripping out of his chest.

John takes a moment to breathe through his anger. On top of every hurt this hunter has caused, making Derek lose a second Alpha in less than a year just takes the cake. John will continue on after this blow, no matter how hard it will be, but he’s not sure if even he could take such a loss  a second time.

He takes a moment to run a hand through Isaac’s hair, tugging Scott close by his shoulder. These boys might be trying to stay strong for the sake of their friend, their pack-mate, but they  _ all  _ lost an Alpha today. John feels his knees weaken a little bit. It’s all catching up to him now.

“How about you try to flash your eyes at Derek, huh kid?”

Stiles probably hasn’t even had time to think about that. To think about how he’s inherently in charge of them all now, how he’s their Alpha now.

He still seems to be willing to try anything to make Derek feel better, so he gently coaches Derek to turn his eyes up and look at him. He flashes his eyes and Derek gasps.

“You’re -Stiles, you’re the Alpha.”

John can feel the bonds snap in place. As Stiles finally realizes what he is, he unconsciously forms the bonds with his pack. There is no question. He’ll take them all. They are his to protect.

 

Then, several things happen. 

 

Stiles howls, full of grief and anger.

 

John shakes with it. He hasn’t let himself deal with it since his own howl, and now he has to keep a straight face; his boy needs him. He shouldn’t have to step up to take on this responsibility, not at such a young age. He’ll be spectacular at it, but it’s so much. Way too much.

 

Derek also fights out of his blankets and tackles Stiles. “You’re my Alpha. Stiles, it’s - I still have a pack!”

 

That right there. Everybody stops and turns to Derek. He hasn’t been with them long, not even a whole year, but they thought he was past this. He has them now; they won’t leave him.

 

John and the boys stand up and rush over to the other two. They end up curled together, John somehow wrapping his arms around all four of them and Stiles making sure to scent all of them.

 

“Of course Derek. You’ll always have us. I’m your Alpha now. I’ll protect you.”

 

John somehow manages to hold on enough to make sure everybody is tended to, that Stiles doesn’t freak out too much, that Connor and Brian are home and safe and as alright as any of them can be right now.

 

When all of them are finally asleep, he sneaks out of the pile and makes his way out of the house. He doesn’t go far, just enough that he won’t wake them up. Hopefully. He sits and stares at the stars before whispering, “You were supposed to lead him through this. Supposed to lead me a while longer. I want to be strong for you, but I just,” and then suddenly, he can’t go on anymore. His words fail and he breaks down into sobs.

 

He sits out there until he can hear Stiles coming through the doors. Of course. As a new Alpha, he’d be sensitive to the distress of his betas. John still thinks he has the status of an Alpha-mate though, just... without a mate. It must be because Stiles is so young, he needs a guide through the first years. No one is meant to be an Alpha this young.

 

His son curls up close to him now, trying to bring his pack-mate comfort. Stiles has always been good at comfort. Scott, Isaac,  _ Derek _ , he would comfort them all. It wasn’t all protecting them against the world, but also from themselves, their emotions.

 

It would be so easy to let this break him. She was his light, his lead, and now he feels a little directionless. But when he looks at Stiles, he sees something to hold on to. Slowly, he stops shaking and he pats Stiles on the back as they stand  up.

 

“How about we go back to the pack, huh?” John sees his son nod and vows to himself that one day, he’ll take Stiles out to the woods to let him fall apart. He’s too young to shoulder all of this. Right now, John can see how much he needs to take care of them all. How much he needs to feel needed now.

 

They spend the next two days curled up at the house, none of them ever straying far away from the touch of a pack-member.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by the amazing [therootednomad](http://archiveofourown.org/users/therootednomad/pseuds/therootednomad) from ao3, also on tumblr, as [argento-capitani](http://argento-capitani.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter tomorrow.


End file.
